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Hattiesburg, Mississippi
Hattiesburg is a city in and the county seat of Forrest County, Mississippi. The population of the city is 45,989. It is the principal city of the Pine Belt and serves as the region's retail, cultural and industrial hub. Development of the interior of Mississippi by European Americans took place primarily after the American Civil War. Before that time, only properties along the major rivers were developed as plantations. Founded in 1882 by civil engineer William H. Hardy, Hattiesburg was named in honor of Hardy's wife Hattie. The town was incorporated two years later with a population of 400. Hattiesburg's population first expanded as a center of the lumber and railroad industries, from which was derived the nickname "The Hub City". It now attracts newcomers because of the diversity of its economy, strong neighborhoods, and the central location in South Mississippi. Demographics As of the 2010 U.S. Census, the racial composition of the city is: 52.63% Black or African American (24,204) 40.90% White (18,809) 6.47% Other (2,976) 35.4% (16,280) of Hattiesburg residents live below the poverty line. A decent chunk of that is students at the University of Southern Mississippi and William Carey University. Theft rate statistics Hattiesburg's theft and murder rates are nowhere near Jackson, the Delta, or Meridian and Columbus, but it isn't exactly the safest place either. The city reported 33 Pokemon thefts in 2018, and averages 4.58 murders a year. Pokemon See the Forrest County page for more info. Fun facts * Hattiesburg is home to The University of Southern Mississippi (founded as Mississippi Normal College, for the training of teachers) and William Carey University (formerly William Carey College). South of Hattiesburg is Camp Shelby, the largest US National Guard training base east of the Mississippi River. * Hattiesburg gained its nickname, the Hub City, in 1912 as a result of a contest in a local newspaper. It was named because it was at the intersection of a number of important rail lines. Later U.S. Highway 49, U.S. Highway 98 and U.S. Highway 11, and later, Interstate 59 also intersected in and near Hattiesburg, and still do today. * The region around Hattiesburg was involved in testing during the development of weapons in the nuclear arms race of the Cold War. In the 1960s, two nuclear devices were detonated in the salt domes near Lumberton, Mississippi, about 28 miles southwest of Hattiesburg. Extensive follow-up of the area by the EPA has not revealed levels of nuclear contamination in the area that would be harmful to humans. * Hattiesburg is home to the African American Military History Museum. The building opened as a USO club in 1942 to serve African Americans serving at Camp Shelby, as local facilities were racially segregated. It has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places. This building is the only remaining USO club site remaining in the United States. It has been adapted for use as a museum interpreting African-American military history. Exhibits show their participation in all the major wars and the founding of Hattiesburg: exhibits include the Revolutionary War, Buffalo Soldiers, World Wars I and II, Desegregation, Korean War, Vietnam, Desert Storm, Global War on Terrorism, You Can Be A Soldier, Hattiesburg's Hall of Honor, and World Map. The museum is dedicated to the many African-American soldiers who have fought for their country. * Hattiesburg has no shortage of amenities to offer. It has a contest hall and showcase theater, any kind of fast food you can think of along with some chain restaurants, dollar stores, plenty of hotels, the Turtle Creek Mall, Walmart, Nintendo World, some shopping centers, Home Depot, Lowe's, Winn Dixie, Dirt Cheap, the Hattiesburg Zoo, Hattiesburg-Laurel Regional Airport, one of the largest sports complexes in the Deep South, plenty of public battle fields, Bobby L. Chain Municipal Airport, some golfing opportunities, plenty of local restaurants and businesses, including Keg & Barrel, Marlins, Shrimp Basket, Glory Bound Gyro Co., T-Bones, Patio 44, Brewsky's, Strick's Bar-B-Q, Jutamas Thai and much more, plenty of car dealerships and auto parts places, the Pine Belt Battle Academy, an Amtrak station along the Crescent line, and much more. * Hattiesburg is also a bit of a popular destination city for railfanners. * Vela Uniform was an element of Project Vela, conducted jointly in the 1960s by the United States Department of Energy and the Advanced Research Projects Agency. Its purpose was to develop seismic methods for detecting underground nuclear testing. The Project Dribble program involved two underground nuclear detonations. Test SALMON occurred on October 22, 1964, with a 5.3 kiloton yield; test STERLING was detonated December 3, 1966, with a yield of 380 tons. Both detonations took place within Tatum Salt Dome, southwest of the Hattiesburg/Purvis area. * Hattiesburg is the birthplace of Danny Manning, Wake Forest men's basketball head coach and the all-time leading scorer in Kansas basketball history with 2,951 points. Category:Mississippi Cities